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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.